Press Statement
Disregard Falsehoods Being Peddled by Tigran Gambaryan against Nigerian Government Officials – FG
The Federal Government of Nigeria notes with concern the outrageous allegations, misinformation, and defamatory statements being disseminated by Tigran Gambaryan, an American personnel of Binance who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes.
While the Federal Government of Nigeria is reluctant to engage Mr. Gambaryan, due to the high-level diplomatic intervention that resolved his case, we are compelled to set the record straight to prevent his falsehoods from gaining traction.
The first visit of Mr. Gambaryan and his colleagues to Nigeria was at their own discretion, and the Government was not officially involved. However, when the Government’s attention was drawn to an alleged bribery demand during that trip, an investigation was immediately launched, despite there being no formal complaint from anyone.
Mr. Gambaryan’s second visit to Nigeria was part of a wider probe into the criminal manipulation of the Nigerian currency through peer-to-peer platforms like Binance, but investigators were frustrated by the tactics deployed by Gambaryan and his team.
Mr. Gambaryan was released by the Nigerian government in October 2024 on humanitarian grounds and following a high-level diplomatic intervention that ended with tangible benefits for Nigeria. The government rejected Binance’s offer of a $5 million down payment in exchange for Mr. Gambaryan’s freedom, in favour of a more beneficial settlement with the American government.
We categorically deny the retaliatory claims made by Mr. Gambaryan against Nigerian officials involved in his case, and we urge the public to disregard these false accusations in their entirety.
It is essential to note that Mr. Gambaryan’s allegations are not only unsubstantiated but also lack credibility, given his apparent motive to discredit and intimidate those who ensured he faced justice.
However, we are confident that both the Nigerian and American judicial systems will provide Mr. Gambaryan with a fair opportunity to substantiate his claims in court. Until then, we advise the public to exercise caution and not be swayed by Mr. Gambaryan’s unfounded and malicious claims.
Mohammed Idris
Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation.
Friday, February 14, 2025
Upset at AU election as Youssouf emerges new chairperson
Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti has been elected Chairperson of the AU Commission after five rounds of voting, defeating Odinga Odinga of Kenya in the 4th round.
Youssouf takes over from Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad, who spent two terms of 4 years each.
Youssouf’s emergence stunned Odinga, who observers expected to win.
However, Odinga spent three minutes out of the five allowed reviewing the history of Pan-Africanism and African solidarity.
He had not spoken about his vision when the electronic timer cut him off.
In contrast, Youssouf sounded more convincing when presenting his vision.
Odinga had started well by leading in the first round, only to lose votes even after the third candidate from Madagascar dropped off.